Sport has always transcended borders, cultures and backgrounds to unite people in shared joy and community. This year's IDSDP theme, “Sport: Building Bridges, Breaking Barriers”, speaks directly to World Aquatics' mission to ensure everyone has the ability to participate, compete in and benefit from aquatic sports.

Reaching communities through Discover Water

Image Source: Istvan Derencsenyi/World Aquatics

The Discover Water programme is a key part of World Aquatics’ commitment to inclusion and social transformation, designed to equip children aged 6 to 12 with essential water safety skills and open up opportunities for all aquatic sports.

Drowning remains one of the leading causes of unintentional injury death globally, disproportionately affecting communities with limited access to water safety education. Through the Discover Water programme, World Aquatics is actively building bridges and reducing inequalities in water safety provision.

Training for Member Federation representatives has already got underway across Africa, Asia and the Americas in Malawi, India and Aruba. This has allowed 50 Member Federations to take part so far, and training for Member Federation representatives in Europe and Oceania will take place in 2026.

Expanding opportunities for development through aquatic sports

Image Source: Hiroyuki Nakamura/World Aquatics

The World Aquatics Scholarship Programme continues to support athletes from developing nations with access to high-quality coaching and competition experience, ensuring that geography or economic circumstance need not define an athlete's potential.

Scholarship holders enjoyed huge success at the World Aquatics Championships – Singapore 2025, with 40 swimmers on the World Aquatics Scholarship Programme and seven on the Stipendium Hungaricum Sport Scholarship Programme setting 30 Personal Bests and 16 National Records.

Applications for the 2026-2027 World Aquatics Scholarship Programme are open this month.

The World Aquatics Support Programme, meanwhile, provides Member Federations with the technical, financial and organisational resources they need to grow their sports domestically, ensuring the benefits of aquatic sport reach athletes and communities at every stage of the journey.

Further, in 2025, the World Aquatics Foundation was created to address key global challenges in aquatic sports, water safety and environmental sustainability. By focusing on athlete development, water safety education, and the protection of water resources, the Foundation ensures that aquatic sports can thrive while making a positive impact on communities and the environment. The Foundation recently launched the Emerging Leaders Programme, a new initiative designed to empower young individuals aged 14 to 18 to become advocates for water safety, environmental responsibility, and positive community engagement.

The programme is a collaborative effort with WeSwim, founded by Ian Zhang, and Step Into Swim, founded by Olympic Champion and International Swimming Hall of Fame member Rowdy Gaines. Through this initiative, participants will benefit from structured mentorship, educational masterclasses and opportunities to implement projects that address water safety, community development and sustainable practices.

On this IDSDP, World Aquatics reaffirms its conviction that aquatic sports have a powerful role to play in building a more connected and inclusive world.